All of them and numerous others -- players paid the same $150 to get in as did members of the public -- were on hand to help raise money for the Jack Jablonski Fund.

The guest of honor was Jablonski, the former Benilde-St. Margaret's hockey player who was sitting in a wheelchair with much of his body immobilized because of a spinal injury suffered during a hockey game on Dec. 30.

The wide grin never left his face.

"It's a dream come true, I guess, right now, just to see all these people here supporting everything," Jablonski said. "It's crazy. All these guys you looked up to when you were younger. I'm speechless right now."

Another was Jeremy Roenick, who was in California early this week, then in Chicago. On Friday, he will be on a plane to London to join the NBC-TV broadcast team for the Olympic Games, but the former NHL star squeezed 24 hours into his schedule to come to the Twin Cities to speak at the sold-out dinner billed as the "Bel13ve In Miracles Gala."

Roenick, wearing a red-and-white Jablonski jersey, has become friends with the youngster, often exchanging text messages and mentioning him on his Twitter feed during commercial breaks while delivering studio analysis for the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring.

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"I think this kid is going to inspire a lot of people that have similar conditions," Roenick said.